Fast track for newly arrived social scientists

In August 2016, a fast track (snabbspår) for social scientists was launched at Stockholm University. The training is commissioned by the Swedish Public Employment Service and is aimed at newly arrived social scientists, including economists and legal scholars, who have completed at least three years of higher education and would like to work in the public sector.

The aim is to ensure that educated and experienced job seekers who have recently arrived in Sweden are employable in their field of study by offering them relevant complementary training and work placement, as well as to provide skilled labour to employers in industries with skills shortages.

Fast track for social scientists at Stockholm University

For the first 12 weeks, students take the course “Academic Swedish” as preparation for the three subsequent complementary courses: “Public Sector Language”, “Public Law” and “Public Administration Policy”. The courses are worth 30 higher education credits and run for 26 weeks. From June 2017 onwards, work placement in public agencies will be organised as a part of the “Public Sector Traineeship Programme for Recent Immigrants”. The training involves a total of 40 weeks of study.

For the last six weeks of the “Academic Swedish” course, students will “shadow”, i.e. walk alongside, personnel at a public agency in order to learn about the work. The shadowing is an integral part of the course “Academic Swedish”, and the students will be given assignments that require the acquisition of knowledge from a workplace in the public sector.

Target group

Newly arrived social scientists (including economists and legal scholars) must be registered with the Swedish Public Employment Service and have completed at least three years of higher education in a country outside the EU. The applicants should be open to working in the public sector. The applicants must have received a Swedish residence permit within the last three years. High proficiency in Swedish is required (SFI D or higher).

Admission

The Swedish Public Employment Service will call suitable candidates to an information meeting at Stockholm University (mandatory). The Swedish Public Employment Service will then determine when the candidates can start the programme in consultation with Stockholm University.

More information

For more information, or if you have any questions about the fast track for social scientists, please contact your case officer at the Swedish Public Employment Service.

Information about the content of the training can be acquired from the career counsellors at Stockholm University:

Background to the fast track

In order to help recent immigrants establish themselves, the government has held talks with labour market parties on quicker routes to the labour market, so-called “fast tracks”, which target recent immigrants with training or professional experience that is in demand in Sweden. The labour market parties are now launching a fast track for social scientists in collaboration with the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) and relevant public agencies.

The fast track for social scientists is organised in collaboration with the labour market parties (the Swedish Agency for Government Employers, OFR/S,P,O, Saco-S and Seko), the Swedish Public Employment Service and the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR).